Improvement in grain-separators



, ZSheets--Smetll H. &. H. GATHMAN.

Grain separators. N0,l5l,658, Patented June'2". `74.

Wfness [n venin @im 94 @am I nrrnn JOHN H. GATHMAN AND HENRY GATHMAN, OF BATESVILLE, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-SEPARATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l 51,658, dated June 2, 1874; application filed April 20, 1874.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that we, JonN H. GA'rnMAN and HENRY GATHMAN, of Batesville, in the county of Ripley and in the State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fanning-Mills and Separators; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawing making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a plan view of our improved fanning-mill. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, with portions broken away to expose the gearing to better view. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the seed-separator detached. Fig. 5 is a plan of one of the riddles for separating the straw and chaff from the grain.

The same letters of reference are used in all the iigures in the designation of identical parts.

This invention relates to that class of fanning-mills which are used to separate the grain and the foreign substances mixed with it after it has been thrashed and which consist, in the main, of a series of vibratin g riddles or screens for removing the straw and other coarse substances from the grain, and separating the latter into different grades, according to fineness,

and a fan for expelling the chaii and other light impurities by strong currents of air. Our improvement consists of certain novel details of construction and arrangement of some of the operative parts, to bc fully explained in the ensuing description, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

The various elements of the farming-mill are carried within and upon a suitable chest, A, in the cylindrical or semi-cylindrical end of which the fan Bis located, disposed in a horizontal position, as usual. The grain or seed, mixed with the foreign matters, is introduced into the hopper C, passing through openings c in its bottom (and controlled by a valve, (1') onto the slanting board D of the upper riddleframe I), which is suspended at either end, by links d from the top panel of the chest A, in such a manner that it may freely vibrate. To the lower end of this frame D are detachably connected a series of riddlestwo in the example illustrated, and marked, respectively, E and F, the latter and lower one being of ner mesh than the upper one. In passing over these riddles the kernels of grain and seed are sifted through, while the bits of straw, sticks, and other coarse matters go off as tailings at the rear end, and the lighter particles, such as chaff, are blown out by the blast created by the fan. A rapid vibratory motion is imparted to the frame D and its riddles by a rotating crank-disk, G, through the medium oi' a pitman, G1. The crank-disk is secured to a shaft, g, upon the side of the chest, the shaft carrying at its other end a bevel-wheel, G2, which is driven by the bevel-wheel H on the main drivin g-shat't, which also carries a pulley, H, geared by a belt with a pulley, Bf, on the fan-shaft. rlhc force of the blast can be regulated by both the valve I, hung iu rear of the separating riddles or screens, and the slides K, governing portions ofthe apertures in the case at either end of the fan. p

The grain and seeds screened through the riddles E and F fall into the hopper L, and are by it directed upon the upper end of the vibrating separator M, placed underneath itin an inclined position, as best seen in Fig. 3. rlhis separator is composed of a suitably-constructed frame and a series of sieves, arranged above another. The upper and coarsest sieve is in length about equal to that of the chest or case, and is composed of two sections of wire-cloth, marked, respectively, N and O, of about equal dimensions, but of different mesh, the section N, directly under the hopper, being the liner one. rIhe next sieve in series is marked P.' It is of iiner mesh than sieve or cloth N, and reaches from the upper end of the latter to about midway of the cloth 0. The third sieve, It, is still finer 5 it is also placed at the upper end ofthe separator, and its size is about equal to that of the wire-cloth N. This arrangement of sieves effects the separation of the seed into three grades, differin g in iineness, and also removes therefrom any coarse matters which may have passed through the upper series of riddles-such foreign substances passing ofi as tailings over the lower end of the separator. The coarsest seed, composed of kernels si'fted through 0 and tailings from sieve P, falls through an aperture, I, in the bottom of the separator, into the drawer or bin X. The next liner grade consists of siftings. from siero l? and tailings iri'om sieve R, and escapes through opening Q, into drawer The nest quality-Sittings from sieve R--is received in bin Z. All these bins or drawers are, of course, removable, so that they may be emptied from time to time. Both a lateral and longitudinal Vibratory motion is imparted to the separator M by a crank, S, the wrist-piu of which is connected to iixed bracket M on the separator. (See Fig. 2.) The crank is secured to the lower end of the vertical shaft S1, which carries a bevel-wheel, S2, meshing into the wheel H of the driving-shaft. The lower end oi' the separator is pivoted at m to an arm, t, of the rock-shaft T. 

